Coin operated machine for making change



Sept. 30, 1969 MARTTI 3,469,669

COIN OPERATED MACHINE FOR MAKING CHANGE Filed NOV. 22. 1967 3 Sheets-Sat 1 HI l l 1-1! 1H 1 1 H9 16' 6 i 9 2 18 10 I 8 9 I 25 v .1, h IIIHIMil M 27 x L I. V l I I! l II 21 22 23 Sept. 30, L. -r11 3,469,669

COIN OPERATED MACHINE FOR MAKING CHANGE Filed Nov. 22, 1967 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 30, 1969 4 MARTT' 3,469,669

COIN OPERATED MACHINE FOR MAKING CHANGE Filed NOV. 22, 1967 I5Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent COIN OPERATED MACHINE FOR MAKINGCHANGE Lauri Martti, Helsinki, Finland, assignor to Raha-Automaattiyhdistys, Helsinki, Finland Filed Nov. 22, 1967, Ser. No.685,050 Claims priority, application Finland, Nov. 22, 1966, 3,087/ 66Int. Cl. G07f 11/20, 11/22 US. Cl. 194-58 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE This invention relates to a coin changing machine, whichcomprises a receiver tube or the like for coins to be changed and atleast one storage tube for change coins and 'below the tubes a slide forfeeding of the coins preferably one by one from each tube alternativelyto the customer or a cash box of the coin changing machine.

In this connection the word coin refers first of all to ordinary metalcoins, but it should also be understood to include coin substitutes,counters and similar, usually round pieces of metal. Thus for instancethe money to be changed may be a metal coin and the change may be lessvaluable coins and/ or substitutes.

Coin changing machines of this type are known, which the sensing member,which indicates the number of coins in store and prevents changing whenthe store of coins is empty, is placed on top of the stack of coins inthe change tube. The disadvantage connected with this type of machnie isthat the change tubes cannot be continuously refilled with coins andbesides the sensing member on top of the stack of coins takes up spacein that direction.

It is is the object of the present invention to eliminate the abovedisadvantages and the coin changing machine according to the inventionis mainly characterized by the fact that there is for each coin tube aguiding plate, which is arranged beneath the slide and rotates between acash box position and a customer position, which guiding plates receivethe coins fed by the slide, and that at least one change tube has beenprovided with a control pin or the like, which is positioned at the pathof movement of the coin pushed from the change tube by the slide andwhich is in operating engagement with the guiding plates in such a waythat when the coin is pushed by the slide displaces the control pin, theguiding plate for the change coins moves into said customer position andthe guiding plate or the coin to be changed moves into said cash boxposition, but when the control pin is undisplaced, the guiding plate forthe change remains in the cash box position and the guiding plate forthe coin to be changed remains in the customer position.

According to the present invention a coin changing machine is obtained,in which the sensing member, which indicates when the change tube isempty, is positioned at the lower end of the change tube, wherefore nodevices are required on top of the stack of change coins. Thanks to thisconstruction the change tubes can easily be provided with automatic coinrefill devices, for instance if the coin changing machine is connectedto a coin operated machine. Then the change tubes may be shorter,

Patented Sept. 30, 1969 because the store of change need not be toolarge, since it is continuously supplied with coins used in the coinoperated machine, and consequently the size of the machine may bedecreased. Likewise the change tubes become shorter as the sensingmember does not require any space on the top.

In one embodiment of the coin changing machine according to theinvention the guiding plates are normally arranged to stay in a positionpermitting change, or in other words in a position where the customerscoin goes to the cash box and the customer gets the change, and they areonly rotated out of this position if one of the change tubes is empty.

According to an alternative embodiment the guiding plates are normallyarranged to stay in a position preventing change of a coin, or in otherwords in a position, where the customers money is returned to thecustomer and the change goes to the cash box, and they are only rotatedout of this position if all of the change tubes contain coins.

The invention is explained more closely below with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a front view of anembodiment of the coin changing machine according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a coin changing machine seen from the end in cross sectionalong line II-II in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a coin changing machine seen from above in cross sectionalong line IIIIII in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a coin changing machine seen from above in cross sectionalong line IV-IV in FIGURE 2.

The coin changing machine visualized in the drawings comprises avertical top plate 1 and a bottom plate 2, which is parallel to the topplate and attached at a certain distance therefrom. Vertical tubes 3 and4 are fastened to the top plate for the storage of change coins and atube 5 for receiving the coins to be changed and fed into the machinethrough corresponding slots in the top plate. Between the bottom plateand the top plate there is a slide 6, which may move back and forth asindicated by the arrow in FIGURES 2 and 3 through the effect of adisplacing lever 10, which is fixed to a horizontal rocking axle 9mounted on the side plates 7, 8 of the machine, and which is inengagement with a fork 11 fixed to the slide and which a spring 12strives to return to its initial position in which the slide iswithdrawn.

At the lower end of each tube the slide is provided with correspondingholes 3, 4', 5', which are positioned in relation to the tubes asindicated in FIGURE 3. In the bottom plate there is also in front ofeach tube a dropping hole 3", 4", 5", as will be explained moreprecisely below.

At the tube 5 for the coins to be changed there is a blocking lever 14,which is pivotedly mounted below the bottom plate on a vertical axle 13attached to the bottom plate, and which a spring 15 strives to keep inthe initial position, where the blocking lever is pushed in front of thedisplacing lever 10, consequently preventing the slide from being moved.A blocking pin 16 is connected to the blocking lever and it projectsupwards through corresponding apertures in the top plate and bottomplate. The blocking lever and the blocking pin are 50 arranged that theblocking pin in the position according .to FIG- URES 3 and 4 is situatedon the path of movement of the coin at the bottom of tube 5 when theslide forces it towards the dropping hole 5", but is displaced asideagainst the force of the spring 15, by means of the coin, in the tube 5sufiiciently for the blocking lever 14 to release the displacing lever10 and enable the slide to move.

At the change tube 4 there is correspondingly a pivoted stopper 18,which is mounted on an axle 17 and is provided with a control pin 19,which projects upwards through corresponding apertures in the top plateand bottom plate to block the path of movement of the coin at the bottomof the tube 4, and which a spring strives to keep in the initialposition indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2.

Below the dropping holes 3", 4", 5" of the bottom plate there areguiding plates 21, 22, 23, which are mounted on a horizontal axleconnected to the side plates 7, 8, one for each tube, and which areshaped like chutes and together form an integral piece. The chute 22 forthe coin to be changed forms a right angle with the chutes 21, 23. Atthe end of the group of chutes there is attached an end plate 24 andprojecting therefrom a locking and resetting pin 25 and a locking ing26. A guiding lug 27, which co-operates with the pin 25, is fixed to theaxle 9. In FIGURE 2 the group of guiding chutes is shown in the initialposition and a spring 28 on the axle strives to turn the group in thedirection of the arrow in FIGURE 2, but the pin 25, which is pressedagainst the guiding lug 27, prevents the group from rotating.

In FIGURE 2 a cash box is marked 29 and a chute, which guides the coinsto a place accessible to the customer, is marked 30.

The coin changing machine operates in the following manner: When theaxle 3 is turned by a hand lever 9" the displacing lever 10 strives topush the slide outwards between the top plate and bottom plate. If thereis no money in the tube 5 the slide can move only a short distancebefore the displacing lever 10 hits the blocking lever 14. When a coinhas been inserted in the coin changing machine and gets into the tube 5placing itself in the corresponding opening 5' in the slide, the slidepushes the coin ahead during said starting motion, and so the coinpushes the blocking pin 16 aside, and in turn the blocking pin moves theblocking lever 14 away from the displacing lever 10, which allows theslide to continue its motion. All through the motion of the slide theguiding lug 27 has been in the way of the pin 25 of the group of guidingchutes preventing it from turning.

When the slide is moved forward, the axle 9 takes along the undermostcoins in the tubes 3 and 4. Then the coin from tube 4 pushes away thecontrol pin 19, which in turn pivots the stopper 18 to move in front ofthe locking lug 26 of the group of guiding chutes. The turning angle ofthe guiding lug 27 is then set so as to press against the pin 25 andprevent the rotation of the group of guiding chutes until the stopper 18according to the above has moved in front of the locking lug 26, whichnow in turn prevents said group from rotating, whereafter the guidinglug is released from the pin 25 when the axle 9 is further rotated. Whenthe progressive motion of the slide continues the coins get to thedropping holes 3", 4" and 5", through which they fall down onto thecorresponding guiding plates 21, 22, 23. In this position the guidingchutes are so placed that the change coins get into the chute 30, whichbrings the coins to the customer, and the coin which is changed isbrought to the cash box.

If there is no change in the tube 4 the control pin 19 and the stopper18 are prevented from moving at all, and if the guiding lug 27 rotatesenough for the pin 25 to be released therefrom, the group of guidingchutes is free to turn by approximately 90, through the effect of thespring 28-. The stopper 18 does not now prevent the group from rotating.Then the guiding chutes have rotated in a position where the coin to bechanged by the customer gets into the chute and the possible coins inthe changetube 3 get into the cash box 29. When the spring 12 rotatesthe axle 9 back into the initial position, the guiding lug 27 actsagainst pin 25 and turns the group of guiding chutes back by 90 into theinitial position by means of the pin 25, whereafter the machine is readyfor a new operation.

The drawings and the specification pertaining thereto are only intendedto visualize the invention. If necessary the tube 3 may therefore alsobe provided with a control pin and stopper, unless the machine isprovided with an automatic feeder as shown in FIGURE 1. Instead of thegroup of guiding chutes normally staying in place and rotating by onlywhen there is no change in the tubes, the machine may be adjusted toturn the group of guiding chutes by approximately 90 always when thereis change in the tubes and to be unrotated only in the contrary case.The invention can also be adjusted to feed more than one coin with theslide at the same time from everyone or any one of the change tubesand/or the tube for the coins to be changed.

What I claim is:

1. A coin changing machine comprising a receiver tube or the like forcoins to be changed and at least one storage tube for change coins andbelow the tubes a slide for feeding of the coins, preferably one at atime from each tube alternatively to the customer or a cash box of thecoin changing machine, characterized in that there is for each coin tubea guiding plate, which is arranged beneath the slide and rotates betweena cash box position and a customer position, which guiding platesreceive the coins fed by the slide, and that at least one change tubehas been provided with a control pin or the like, which is positioned atthe path of movement of the coin pushed from the change tube by theslide and which is in operating engagement with the guiding plates insuch a way that when the coin pushed by the slide displaces the controlpin, the guiding plate for the change coins moves into said customerposition and the guiding plate for the coin to be changed moves intosaid cash box position, but when the control pin is undisplaced, theguiding plate for the change remains in the cash box position and theguiding plate for the coin to be changed remains in the customerposition.

2. A coin changing machine according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe guiding plate for the coin to be changed is arranged to be in saidcustomer position and the guiding plate for the change to be in saidcash box position and that the control pin is arranged to cause theguiding plate for the coin to be changed to rotate into said cash boxposition and the guiding plate for the change to rotate into saidcustomer position when the control pin is displaced by the coin throughthe motion of the slide.

3. A coin changing machine according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe guiding plate for the coin to be changed is arranged to be in saidcash box position and the guiding plate for the change in said customerposition and that the control pin is arranged to cause the guiding platefor the coin to be changed to rotate into said customer position and theguiding plate for the change to rotate into said cash box position whenthe control pin remains undisplaced when the slide is moved.

4. A coin changing machine according to claim 2, characterized in thatthe guiding plates are rotatably mounted on an axle to be under theinfluence of springs, and that the control pin is coupled to a stopper,which in the undisplaced position of the control pin is in engagementwith the guiding plates to prevent them from rotating.

5. A coin changing machine according to claim 3, characterized in thatthe guiding plates are rotatably mounted on an axle to be under theinfluence of springs, and that the control pin is coupled to a stopper,which, when the control pin is displaced, is in engagement with theguiding plates to prevent them from rotating.

6. A coin changing machine according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe guiding plates are fixedly connected to each other on a mutualrotating axle in such a manner that the guiding plate for the coin to bechanged is turned by 90 in relation to the guiding plate or plates forthe change coins.

7. A coin changing machine according to claim 1, characterized in thatthere is provided at the receiver tube for the coin to be changed ablocking pin or the like, which is positioned at the path of movement ofthe coin removed from the tube by the slide, and which blocking pin isin operating engagement With the slide in such a way that when theblocking pin is displaced by the coin moved by the slide, the slide isfree to move, but when the control pin is undisplaced, the slide isblocked.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, PrimaryExaminer

